Fuel bills show minimal rise since 1980s, reckons Which?

The study by Which? compared the test figures of past and present Ford models and found that there was little change in fuel spend once adjustments had been made for inflation.

The organisation compared the Ford Cortina to the Ford Mondeo and found that in 1980, the Cortina 2.0-litre petrol averaged 27mpg. Fuel cost 28p a litre, which when adjusted for inflation would give an annual fuel bill of £1,889 (based on the UK average of 12,000 miles a year).

Today, the Ford Mondeo 2.0-litre petrol averages 34.9mpg in Which? tests. Based on a petrol cost of £1.29 per litre this gives an average annual spend of £1,915.

However, Which? points out that oil prices were also hight at the time and added that the equivalent figures for 1990 (£1,408) and 2000 (£1,634) show that the price of filling up has risen rather more markedly in the last two decades.